NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 11 May 2026 |

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held via Zoom on Monday 11 May 2026 at 7pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

This meeting was chaired by Richard Price, in the absence of Peter Williamson.

1 Welcome and apologies

1.a Attendance

Fiona Banatvala	NTBCC	Susan MacInnes	NTBCC	Bruce Ryan	minutes secretary
Mike Birch	NTBCC	Masudun Nessa Mitu	NTBCC	Alan McIntosh	Broughton Spurtle
Pierre Forissier	NTBCC	Andrew Naughtie	NTBCC	Cllr Jack Caldwell	Leith Walk ward
Annick Gaillard	NTBCC	Richard Price	NTBCC	Cllr Claire Miller	City Centre ward
Laura Graham	NTBCC	Nick Reid	NTBCC	Cllr Max Mitchell	Stockbridge/Inverleith ward
Simon Holledge	NTBCC	David Renton	NTBCC	~6 residents/visitors
Ken Lochrie	NTBCC	Gerry Wells	NTBCC

1.b Apologies

Stephen Hajducki	NTBCC	Martin McDonnell	NTBCC
Shaun Hodge	NTBCC	Cllr Jo Mowat	City Centre ward

2 Declarations of interest

Cllr Miller: she is a close neighbour of 39 London St (see completed action about here) so might have had an interest.

3 Approval of draft April minutes and matters arising

3.a Approval

Approved subject to taking in changes to Licensing section from A Gaillard (proposed D Renton, seconded R Price, ND)

3.b Matters arising and actions from previous meetings

See online register. Actions that are in progress have a yellow background.

R Price: re action on e-bikes, the bottom of Dundas St now has a marked parking area for e-bikes.
R Price: NTBCC will fully discuss its positions on TVL revenue (see also item 8.a below), and on street-cleansing in June.
Action: M Birch to follow up with Cllrs Mowat and Mitchel about EWH issues raised in February meeting.

4 Police report

No report received hence action: L Graham to chase.
K Lochrie: thank you to police for undertaking speed-checks in Drummond Place on 15 April
M Birch: Police Scotland is due to give its 6-monthly report to CEC in August. NTBCC could make a deputation.

5 Chair’s report

5.a AGM (8 June)

N Reid: accounts will be created in time for the AGM. A new verifier is needed.
Action: R Price to chase for other reports.

5.b Picardy Place – overdue replacement of dead trees/ongoing maintenance: how to influence?

5.c EACC meeting (30 March) on digital engagement, Community Grants Fund and increased community participation

See summary of this meeting on EACC website.
Action: S Hodge/Fiona Banatvala to follow up on engagement methods with community grants fund officers.

5.d LeithChooses: how to publicise that this includes part of NTBCC’s area?

Action: F Banatvala/S Hodge to engage with LeithChooses steering group, and report in June.

6 Planning matters

All points made by R Price otherwise noted.

6.a 26/01504/FUL: hotel proposal, 104-114 & 116 Dundas Street (comments by 15 May)

The basic idea to create a hotel here has been approved but more detailed plans are still open for comments. I suggest that the proposed hotel of itself would be acceptable, but NTBCC should question the loss of trees, the size of the development, and servicing from Henderson Place Lane.
K Lochrie: there was to be a hotel across the road from this site, but funding for it wasn’t available at the time. The architecture in this plan is lamentable’, making no improvement to the north entrance to the new town. Removal of trees would also be unwelcome. There could be a commercial gain if the hotel is stepped back.
A Naughtie: I concur with the issues on loss of trees and loss of amenity. The commercial issues about hotels could be pointed out, but NTBCC should support the change of use to support cracking down on STLs and avoid leaving an unused site.
A resident: neighbours are not concerned about the idea of the hotel but are concerned that the potential demolition would create noise and traffic. Fettes Row and Royal Crescent residents’ association is likely to make a submission.
M Birch: planning permission could include a condition of liaising with residents over inconveniences from demolition to residents.
Action: R Price to make NTBCC’s submission, taking in the above points.

6.b 26/01440/FUL: extension to The Place Hotel, York Place – rear extension (comments by 15 May)

This would be a quite large, contemporary extension, which I suggest would be too large.
Action: R Price and P Forissier to submit an objection, taking in points from HES and the Cockburn Association.

6.c 26/01640/FUL: 57 Henderson Row (as amended) (comments by 22 May)

This is about the Royal London building, which has been vacated. Royal London has applied to make this building into a build-to-rent development (35% affordable housing). The first application, involving a double mansard roof was refused. They now wish to add an extra storey with a slate roof. In brief there is much that is welcome about this application but the extra storey would be too much: the existing massing should be maintained.
Action: R Price to submit objection.

6.d Telecom proposals across World Heritage site

There are several such applications, e.g. in Rose St. They are relatively minor (8m poles), but it’s not known which locations options have been considered. However, the period for objections has now closed.

6.e Advertising shrouds – Princes Street

NTBCC has objected to the advertising shroud at 109 Princes St. Permission for floodlighting was refused but this decision is being challenged. NTBCC should continue to object to such floodlit shrouds.

7 Licensing matters

All points made by A Gaillard unless otherwise noted.

7.a Regulatory committee

Neighbours see the decisions (helped by around 40 objections) on 11 Royal Terrace as positive: alcohol consumption must stop at 9pm (outdoors, this area must be staffed during this time) and 11pm (on-sales, which are only for residents and their guests). The test will be when the hotel starts operating. There are still planning issues, e.g. about terracing.

7.b Civic licensing

There will be permissions for licensing premises during FIFA world cup game-play. Fan-zones may be covered at the next civic licensing meeting.

8 Culture and Communities matters

All points made by M Birch unless otherwise noted. See also paper about reporting in June on C&C May meeting.

8.a Visitor Levy – Participatory Budgeting proposals

CEC proposes that each ward gets £100k over 3 years (25% in year 1, 75% in years 2–3 but money not spent in year 1 could be carried over), using participatory budgeting (PB) to select which projects are implemented. Projects would cost between £5k and 100k. The projects must benefit visitors. Also, £300k would be used to fund administration.
B Ryan: people who have experience of running PB are very concerned that the deliberation period (time for setting themes etc) has already started, and was already too short. The start should be delayed by at least a year.
Action: M Birch to highlight potential harm to credibility of this process to Cllr Graham.

8.b Visitor Levy ‘Heritage and Events’ funding proposals

£5m has been allocated for this.

8.c Visitor Levy City Operations and Infrastructure working group

CEC aims to establish a short-life working group on operations and infrastructure, which will receive 55% of TVL revenue.

8.d Development of new Culture and Heritage strategy etc

CEC had decided to create a heritage strategy, but this is now being labelled as ‘culture and heritage’ strategy, implying some dilution of the original intent.
CEC does not have a major event approval process. This was highlighted by Edinburgh being the host of the 2026 Tour de France grand départ, but CEC having no spending-approval process.
Cllr Mitchell: CEC has found that it has too many strategies, some of which overlap, so it is trying to streamline them into fewer, larger strategy workstreams. Concerning libraries, there has been very detailed consultation and monitoring of libraries. There will be no net reduction of opening hours; CEC is trying to make them more accessible.

8.e Winter festivals

No discussion

8.f Fireworks control zone

S Holledge: the permission for the Calton Hill FCZ was for 2 years. We are in the 2^nd year.

8.g Other matters

S Holledge: I have been working on a deputation about a nature reserve in Greenside.

9 Transport and Environment matters

All points made by M Birch unless otherwise noted. See also transport report.

9.a Meadows to George St TRO hearing – NTBCC submission

CEC’s statement of case is very long, and contains numerous links to external documents, some of which are not publicly available. I have asked the reporter why this is. For example, the road safety audits and pedestrian comfort survey are sorely needed but are not available. This issue, and others, are highlighted in the draft NTBCC additional comments. NTBCC’s concerns centre on Hanover St, The Mound, Bank St, Forrest Rd, regulated parking zones, floating bus stops and equality impact assessments
A resident/M Birch: the basic design is inimical to pedestrians despite them being at the top of the travel hierarchy.
R Price: it is surprising that the reporter is considering documents that have not been put on the DPEA website.
S MacInnes: narrowing of or not extending of pavements would be very poor. It is not sensible that this route is being considered in isolation. NTBCC should attend the hearing.
F Banatvala: I would like to access pictures of the proposed changes: the textual descriptions are incomprehensible.
M Birch: there are maps on the DPEA website but these are insufficiently informative. Detailed designs are not yet available. This lack of information could be added to NTBCC’s deputation. Detailed proposals relate to traffic changes, but these are not part of the TRO subcommittee’s remit. (This issue is not new.)
F Banatvala: why hasn’t Cllr Jenkinson (CEC transport convenor) halted this project along with others?
Cllr Miller: a CEC decision about the TVL halted George St work but this project was not affected by that motion.
Cllr Mitchell: also, the Waverley Valley/Princes St strategy has impact on this project.
- Action: M Birch and Cllr Miller to try to engage with Old Town CC.
- Action: NTBCC members to comment on the draft submission before 15 May
- Action: M Birch to submit final version.
- Action: M Birch/S MacInnes to ascertain which NTBCC members will take part in the hearing on 17 June.

9.b Communal bin review – CEC update and NTBCC response

CEC has now submitted TRO proposals for phase 6 bins, but these do not respond to NTBCC’s concerns at all. This is very poor behaviour by CEC, preventing NTBCC from fulfilling its statutory representative role. Hence NTBCC has asked CEC to engage with it and with residents, meanwhile pausing work on these TROs. NTBCC could make a formal complaint and/or work with local media. The lack of communication by CEC about bins is in marked contrast to the good communication about gull-proof bags.
NTBCC is also awaiting a response from Edinburgh World Heritage Trust.
F Banatvala: residents need to be ready to email councillors and the waste team’s general email address.
L Graham: residents are not getting value for their council tax payments.
Cllr Mitchell: the relevant CEC official has been on leave, then was seconded into elections work, but has met with me about bins. Amendments to phase 6 plans can still be made. Emailing the waste team, highlighting that emails are about the communal bin review and quoting bin-hub reference numbers, would ensure they reach relevant officials.
A resident: residents need to send in a line-by-line refutation of the CEC official’s communication, and CC councillors.
R Price: Many of the bin-hubs that have been installed need attention due to breakages and graffiti. Food-waste bins are very dirty.
F Banatvala/M Birch: the relevant CEC budget-line was cut. This issue will be part of NTBCC’s street-cleansing submission.

9.c Trams to Newhaven outstanding work including Picardy Place

See transport report. The next CCTT meeting is in June.

9.g Coach parking plan – NTBCC deputation

See transport report. It seems that written deputations are often ignored, so spoken deputations are needed.

9.h St Marks Path

NTBCC has now received the contractor’s newsletter about Powderhall: access is being mostly maintained.
Action: M Birch to post the next newsletter

10 Engagement matters

No dedicated discussion at this point.

11 Any other business

K Lochrie: renewal of the contract for the 13 bus service is due in July, but there appears to be no tendering process. It is reported that there are too many spurious cancellations, and that ticket machines are non-functional.
- Action: K Lochrie and M Birch to act on this.
A resident: the book 200 years of Great King St is being launched at St Vincent’s chapel on 7 June.